Instructional Strategies That
Support Academic Engagement
of Students with Autism and
Related Disabilities
Aleksandra Hollingshead, M.Ed.
University of Cincinnati
[email protected]
Objectives:
At the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1.Describe academic engagement.
2.Discuss meaningful ways of promoting academic engagement of
students with autism and related disabilities.
3.Incorporate instructional technologies and Universal Design for
Learning framework to plan a group instruction for students with
autism and related disabilities.
Why is Academic Engagement
Important?
•
Active engagement is critical for academic and social outcomes for
students with and without disabilities (Carter, Sisco, Brown, Brickham, & Al-Khabbaz,
2008; Holifield, Goodman, Hazelkom, & Heflin, 2010; Iovanne, Dunlap, Huber, & Kincaid, 2003; Klem &
Connell, 2004)
•
Federal legislation of No Child Left Behind (2002) and the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (2004) emphasize high expectations
and active engagement as critical factors for student learning
achievement. While other factors influence student outcomes, these
two factors are particularly important because supporting students’
academic engagement is critical as it is directly related to learning
and, therefore, improved academic and post secondary outcomes
(Carter et al., 2008; Iovanne et al., 2003).
What is Engagement?
Engagement is the most critical foundation for
LEARNING and therefore POST
SCHOOL outcomes
engagement
=
learning
Current Definition of Engagement
 Most research identifies academic engagement as
on-task and on-schedule behavior:
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Attending to learning tasks
Staying on task for a predetermined period of time
Self-monitoring on-task behaviors
Taking turns without prompts
Following directions
Physical approach: calm body, eye contact, hands down
(Agran, Sinclair, Alper, Cavin, Wehmeyer, & Hughes, 2005; Bryan &Gast, 2000;
Carnahan, Musti-Rao, &Bailey, 2009; Holifield, Goodman,
Hazelkom, & Heflin, 2010; Pelios, MacDuff, & Axelrod, 2003)
How Do I Know That My Student
is Engaged?
• A student is:
– Physically oriented towards the task
– Cognitively involved by responding to directions,
providing answers to questions, and completing
academic tasks
– Emotionally invested shown by motivation,
happiness, or otherwise expressed pleasure in
task
Video example
Research-Based Strategies to
Promote Engagement
See the last slide for a full list of categorized research-based strategies
Research-Based Strategies in
Practice
 Individual instruction
 Joint attention- the first building block to
engagement
 Structured tasks
 Structured work times
 Interaction
 Imitation
 Re-thinking traditional ‘work’ times- getting out of
your comfort zone.
 Group Instruction- to be discussed
Motivation and Reinforcement
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Type and length of activities- 80/20 rule
Embedding reinforcing items
Tangible reinforcement
Pairing
Thinking outside the box
Communication- requesting
• Video example
Engagement as an Educational
Focus
• Comprehensive curriculum planning
• Talking with parents- Research, Research,
Research
• IEP development:
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Baseline data
When to target engagement?
Behavioral indicators
When to track progress?
Getting the team on board
Example IEP Goals and
Objectives
• Goal:
– (The student) will increase the amount of time he/she is actively
engaged during a variety of learning activities, such as:
•
•
•
•
work sessions (student and teacher directed)
small groups
independent task completion
general classroom functioning
• Objectives
– During a ____ minute student directed session, (the student)
will maintain engagement for __% of the time demonstrated by:
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initiating requests
interacting with teacher through play activities
engaging in vocal turn taking
joint attention to an activity
Imitation
on 10 consecutive days.
Example IEP Goals and
Objectives (cont.)
 (The student) will demonstrate engagement during a teacher
directed work session by:
• responding when presented with a task or direction (does not
necessarily mean correct response)
• following directions
• using materials appropriately
• keeping eyes on work
in __/__ trials on __ consecutive sessions.
 (The student) will maintain __% engagement during a __
minute small group lesson as demonstrated by:
• maintaining body and eyes on the teacher or learning materials
• responding when presented with a task or direction
for 10 consecutive days.
Example IEP Goals and
Objectives (cont.)
(The student) will complete __/__ steps of a (left to
right/matching/list) independent work system (list
steps in work system) with a minimum of __ tasks
at a time in __/__ documented trials.
(The student) will follow verbal and visual
directions within the school environment within __
seconds in __/__ documented trials.
Designing Engaging Group
Instruction
• Group instruction
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Differentiating instruction
Structuring
Repetition/ routine
Interactive
Based on Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
principles
UDL Framework
“The term ‘universal design for learning’ means a
scientifically valid framework for guiding educational
practice that:
(A) provides flexibility in the ways information is presented, in the
ways students respond or demonstrate knowledge and skills,
and in the ways students are engaged; and
(B) reduces barriers in instruction, provides appropriate
accommodations, supports, and challenges, and maintains
high achievement expectations for all students, including
students with disabilities and students who are limited English
proficient.’’ (U.S.C. § 1001)
UDL Framework cont’d
“Universal Design provides equal access
to learning, not simply equal access to
information.”
(Ohio State University Partnership Grants to Improve
the Quality of Higher Education for Students with Disabilities, cf.
UDL. A Guide for Teachers and Education Professionals (2005),
Council for Exceptional Children)
Multiple Means of Representation
and Expression
Multiple Means of Expression and
Representation
Designing Engaging Group
Instruction
• When planning, consider the following:
 How can I make the idea more concrete?
 How can I arrange for participatory learning?
 How can I make the lesson more visual?
 How can I offer an auditory learning experience?
 How can I use community-based learning
opportunities? (Mastropieri & Scruggs, 2007)
A video example of an engaging
group activity
Tie in Available Technology
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Videos
Music
i Pad/ i Pod games
Pictures
Power point: books, social stories,
http://www.scribd.com/doc/24470331/iPhon
e-iPad-and-iPod-touch-Apps-for-SpecialEducation
Resources to use:
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http://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=Gnst_mkCEu4
http://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=3icBxO6Wjz0
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School library- find picture books
with easy text to use for Language
Arts Group
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Use Boardmaker for your visual
supports
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Use website resources:
www.uniquelearningsystem.com
www.edhelper.com, www.abcteach.com
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Take pictures, print images off
Google images and make your own
books
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Make Power Point Presentationswatch and/or print out for the books
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Find videos to support your
instruction: www.youtube.com,
www.teachertube.com
Cool Tools
• A variety of apps:
– Brain Pop
– Qwiki
– Touchy Books
– NOOK kids
– MeeGenius
– Actions
– Balloons
– Kids World Map
and many many more..
iTunes U
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Thousands of FREE videos, audio, podcasts.
Entire college courses
Multiple platforms
Parent controls
Wolfram Alpha
• A free search engine that provides for computation
and distribution of any systematic knowledge
• Supports different disciplines
http://www.wolframalpha.com /
Qwiki
• Additional search tool that provides auditory
support
• http://www.qwiki.com/
Google earth
• Satellite images from anywhere on Earth.
• Create tours
• Go under seas
http://earth.google.com/
Cast Bookbuilder
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A tool to quickly develop accessible books.
Provides for scaffolding
Book sharing
http://bookbuilder.cast.org/
Visual dictionary
• Visual/contextualized references
• Audio pronunciation
• Multilingual
• http://visual.merriam-webster.com/
Putting it all together:
• Plan for group instruction having each individual
student’s needs and skills in mind
• Implement IEP objectives and Standards-aligned
teaching
• Utilize technology
• Keep high expectations and always measure for
students’ engagement
• Provide multiple means of expression, representation,
and engagement
A Full List of Research-Based Strategies (for students
with significant disabilities, not only Autism)
1.
Self- monitoring interventions Agran, M., Sinclair, T., Alper, S., Cavin, M., Wehmeyer, M., & Hughes, C.
(2005); Brooks, A., Todd, A., Tofflemoyer, S., &Horner, R. (2003); Cihak, D., & Gama, R. (2008); Coyle, C., & Cole,
P. (2004); Gilberts, G., Agran, M., Hughes, C., & Wehmeyer, M. (2001); Graham-Day, K., Gardner, R., & Hsin, Y.
(2010); Harris, K., Danoff Friedlander, B., Saddler, B., Frizzelle, R., & Graham, S. (2005); Holifield, C., Goodman, J.,
Hazelkorn, M., & Heflin, J. (2010); Levendoski, S.L., & Cartledge, G. (2000)
2.
Literacy-based interventions Beck, M., Burns, M., & Lau, M. (2009); Browder, D., Mims, P., Spooner, F.,
Ahlgrim-Delzell, L., & Lee, A. (2008); Carnahan, C., Basham, J., & Musti-Rao, S. (2009); Carnahan, C., Musti-Rao,
S., & Bailey, J. (2009); Skotko, B., Koppenhaver, D., & Erickson, K. (2004)
3.
Visual-support based interventions Bryan, L.C., & Gast, D.,L.(2000); Carnahan, C. (2006); O’Reilly,
M., Sigafoos, J., Lancioni, G., Edrisinha, C., & Andrews, A. (2005)
4.
Adult-support based interventions Browder, D., Trela, K., & Jimenez, B. (2007); Devlin, P. (2005);
Stahr, B., Cushing, D., Lane, K., & Fox, J. (2006); Sutherland, K., Wehby, J., & Copeland, S. (2000); Werts, M.,
Zigmond, N., & Leeper, D. (2001)
5.
Choice-making interventions Kern, L., Bambara, L., & Fogt, J. (2002); Ramsey, M., Jolivette, K.,
Patterson D., &Kennedy C. (2010)
6.
Other interventions Agran, M., Cavin, M., Wehmeyer, M., & Palmer, S. (2010); Haydon, T., Maheady, L., &
Hunter, W. (2010); Nicholson, H., Kehle, T., Bray, M., & Van Heest, J. (2011); Pelios, L., MacDuff, G., & Axelrod, S.
(2003)
Resources and (some)References:
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CAST http://www.cast.org/udl/index.html
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CAST online modules: http://www.udlcenter.org/implementation/modules
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IRIS Peabody Module on UDL: http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/udl/chalcycle.htm
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National Center on Accessible Instructional Materialshttp://aim.cast.org/learn/historyarchive/backgroundpapers/differentiated_instruction_udl
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UDL-IRN: http://udl-irn.org/
Agran, M., Sinclair, T., Alper, S., Cavin, M., Wehmeyer, M., & Hughes, C. (2005). Using self-monitoring to increase following
direction skills of students with moderate to severe disabilities in general education. Education and Training in
Developmental Disabilities , 40 (1), 3-13.
•Carnahan, C., Musti-Rao, S., & Bailey, J. (2009). Promoting active engagement in small group learning experiences for
students with autism and significant learning needs. Education and Treatment of Children , 32 (1), 37-61.
•Carter, E., Sisco, L., Brown, L., Brickham, D., & Al-Khabbaz, Z. (2008). Peer interactions and academic engagement of youth
with developmental disabilities in inclusive middle and high school classrooms. American Journal on Mental
Retardation, 113(6), 479-494.
•Coyle, C., & Cole, P. (2004). A videotaped self-modeling and self-monitoring treatment program to decrease off-task
behavior in children with autism. Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability , 29 (1), 3-15.
•Hallahan, D., Marshall, K., & Lloyd, W. (1981). Self-recording during group instruction: Effects on attention to task. Learning
Disability Quarterly , 4 (4), 407-413.
•Holifield, C., Goodman, J., Hazelkom, M., & Heflin, J. (2010). Using self-monitoring to increase attending to task and academic
accuracy in children with autism. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities , 25 (4), 230-238.
•Iovanne, R., Dunlap, G., Huber, H., & Kincaid, D. (2003). Effective educational practices for students identified as having autism
spectrum disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities , 18 (3), 150-165.
•Nicholson, H., Kehle, T., Bray, M., & Van Heest, J. (2011). The effects of antecedent physical activity on the
academic engagement of children with autism spectrum disorder. Psychology in the Schools, 48(2), 198- 213.
•Pelios, L., MacDuff, G., & Axelrod, S. (2003). The effects of a treatment package in establishing independent
academic work skills in children with autism. Education and Treatment of Children , 26 (1), 1-21.
Questions?